
Glass 



f q 



Book_. '.W« Wfo 



w 









oWi"** ' 






ON OF' 



A PROSPECTUS 



OF 



WRANGEL, ALASKA 7H 



Giving Statistics and General information Relative to the Resources 
and Industrie;-* of tlie Wratnrrel District. 



Pul >! tshed 1 tj* 

THK BOARD OK TRADE 

ICJOI 



COMMITTEE ON PUBLICATION 

J. H. Causten 
H. J. Baron 



By T"".*isfer 

DEC 5 1916 



*&* 



3 
\ 






PRESS OF THE MYSELL-ROLUNS CO-, 22 CLAY, S. F. 



y 



\ 




Fort \V range], showing Town and Bay. 



I V 



••• Introductory 









Mere than half as large as il ntire United States east ol the Mississippi, eleven tunc- the size of the Empire 

state with its seven millions of people, three-fourths as large as the Republic of Mexico, with thousands of acres of 
virgin forests of spruce, cedar and hemlock, with an inexhaustible supply of salmon, halibut and herring, with fab- 
ulousl} rich mineral deposits, with water power to run thousands of factories, and all practically untouched — such is 
today the Alaska of which the world has heard so much and knows so little. 

The census of 1 s . s n showed a population of 393 whites, 330 halfbreeds and 7225 [ndians for all thai - i of 

the district south of Mt. St. Elias and commonly known as Southeastern Alaska, which has always, because of i - 
salubrious climate been the most thickly settled portion. The census of L900 should show a population of L5,000 

whiles. 

In the very center of this must populous section, situated on the northern end of Wrangel fsland on a beautiful 
bay called Etolin, with anchorage for the lee! of the Pacific Coast, is the town of Fori Wrangel, as the name origi- 
nally was. h lies aboul six miles from the mouth of the Stickeen River, Alaska's largesl navigable stream south 
of Behring Sea, and the natural gateway into northern British Columbia and the once famous Cassiar gold fields. 

At a very early date a Russian trading posl was located on the presenl site of the town, where the} gathered 
large quantities of furs, and later leased it to the Hudsons' Bay Companj whose occupancy la-ted until the pur- 
chase of Alaska lr\ the United State- in L867, when a stockade was buill and a company of troops stationed here 
hence the name Fori Wrangel. 

7 



As early us the year 1872, very rich discoveries of gold were made in the Cassiar country beyond the divide sep- 
arating the waters that flow toward the Pacific Coast from those that seek their outlet north through the McKenzie 
River. For several years succeeding this discovery the miners from the interior wintered at Wrangel, which with 

the trade of the natives made it tin 1 most populous ami prosperous settlement in the vast territory. After several 
years of profitable operations and when the cream of tin 1 Known diggings had been skimmed, tin' population and with 
it the trade id' Wrangel declined for some years. 

But since the opening of the mines on the Yukon which are located in the same mineral licit as those of the Cas- 
siar, further explorations mad" quite recently have developed the fact that the Cassiar mines are by n cans ex- 
hausted, and large capital is now being invested by the Thibert Creek Mining Co., and hydraulic machinery installed 
for work on a large scale; and these mini's being of a i 'e permanent character than those first discovered will ma- 
terially affect the prospects of Wrangel as all the supplies and travel must go by way of the Stickeen. 

The country is known to be rich in minerals, but freight rates and the difficulties to be encountered in pros- 
pecting have prevented development. Mines that on salt water would be considered a store-house of wealth 
are hardly worth recording in the vast interior. Should the Canadian Government build a railway through the 
country, a not unlikely reality in the near future. Canada's gold production would be immensely increased. 

After the immense gold fields in the Yukon were an assured success, there was a mistaken effort to get into tic 
country over the ice on the Stickeen in the spring of 1808. There was a great rush to the town, an inflation of 
prices, the reaction and accompanying disappointments of which were believed to be a serious setback to the natural 
ami steady growth; but. fortunately, her local industries bid passed the experimental stag< and Wrangel was able to 
quickly recover ami again forge ahead. 

Today. Wrangel is a town of 830 white and native population, with five large general merchandise stores, six 
saloons, a drug store, sheet metal works, brewery, two restaurants, barber shop, news-stand. 1". S. Court House and 
Marshall's office, Custom House, Post-office, church and Mission, two schools supported by the federal government, 




Wrangel from Mount Dewey. 




Fort Wrangel Hotel. 



three wharves, the largesi and lines! hotel in Alaska, the largest saw mill in the districl and sis canneries, two of 
which are practically in the town. 

She has five regular mail steamers from Puget Sound points giving a three day service, in addition to the man) 
vessels that touch here going north and south. 

The only steamer line running to the west coast of the Prince of Wales [sland and carrying the U. S. mail ra 
Klawack, Shakan, Howkan, the Copper Ml. and other mining camps in that important ami rapidly growing section, 
operates alone from Wrangel ami all freight ami passengers for these points nm.-t be transferred here. The Canadian 
mails for northern British Columbia points also go through the local office. 

Thr climate of Wrangel is conceded in be the best in all Alaska. In winter the thermometer rarely fall- be- 
low zero, while the si icrs are delightful, the average temperature for several n ths being about 70 deg. above. 

All tile hardier vegetables attain their perfection ami liowers grow luxuriantly. 

Eere the people arc contented ami prosperous; their homes arc comfortable ami commodious ami the social 

life compares favorably with that of any town of similar size in the United States. Eer scl Is arc good, ami unlike 

many Alaska towns, her people neither have t" lice from the severity of the winter nor semi their children smith 
tor proper schooling. 










The Stickeen Fleet in Winter (Quarters. 



he Ol ici^ccr) 

'''" """" "'"' | ' , ; ,V " 1 ';"• P leasure «" lh - Alaska I"'"— greater attractions th. n other country „n earth not 

Zf7«, T;f Wd Switzerland And to those experiencing an Alaska, trip, there remains l iV.-l....- , 

v ;' Je hand oi the heavenly artist, of the aurora borealis, of the majestic mountains with their 

^te summits, oi the mland seas, of the mighty glaciers with thundering icebergs breaking from hen ,1 

"* H1 'I ]w ^ md fl f^ f "' "-' ^ry of stable ■ ador, of the vast with of ash m , , ^ 

and of the curious customs of the natives. cimoer, 

... ?utfor.wild, rugged am tap] ing scenic beauty, th« Stickeen river is unsurpassed on this olanel 

10 /' ,hCkS ; ""' SaW te f h '"" nlv Called Ul " Coas1 1! -^'»- >'- mighty river Las af er years o ,.,'n i '„,f 

washing away, secured an outlet for its enormous volume i water some six miles from Mangel g 8 

On the 160 mile trip from Wrangel to Telegraph Creek, B. C, ai the head of navigation, four glaciers are passed 

tlU ; Ur f " r '; nl " § aeiG * '"■"* 8 es horn the mouth. The Great Glacier, commonly ca I I,, M, , , i , « 

"fsbeyond, 1S I" -"" ' r" SlZe thal ne has eVer ' " t0 its ^ ; '"■• ~ ■ ^ve vewe it from the hiS 

,ml: " 11 ; ' '"" , ;i "' » "' as Ear as "'" '- ™ reach up the great valley or canyon, * „] ed its snak 

creeps and grinds at the rate of aboui four inches per day. 

The Indians have a tradition that years ago (delate siah ancuttie) ,t reached across the m- ,• ,1 i 
passing .n.l,,- it with their canoes through a sub-glacial channel. ' "»** 

"" ""' P ° Uth ?id ' ""' river and directl J opposite Grer.t Glacier are a number of hoi springs boilir, 



orm 



in-- 



n: 

17 



from the very base of a towering mountain. Two of these springs are slightly tainted with iron and sulphur, the 
others being pure fresh water. Three hundred yards from the steamer landing a boat can be rowed into one of 
these pools, about two feet deep and of the temperature of blood heat. The Indians attribute curative properties to 
i he waters ami frequent them for that purpose. 

The Mini Glacier, so called for the reason that its surface is covered with a thick layer of dust deposited 
through the ages by wind, is about ten miles above the hot springs. 

About fifteen miles beyond the Mud Glacier is the boundary between Canada and the United States, as established 
| 1X t i H . | iii1 commission of engineers in 18!):!. It was established by Joseph Hunter, a Dominion Government en- 
gineer who made the survey in 1876 and is supposed t>» lie ten marine leagues from the mouth of the river, at right 
angles from the general trend of the coast: but by the river with it.- winding channel it is nearly twice as far. A 
provisional boundary line, however, has been established much nearer the coast where the Canadian Government 
maintains a post with a detachment of Mounted Police, who collect customs duties and exercise control over a large 
area of 1'. S. territory to the detriment of our prospectors. 

Nearly opposite the actual boundary post i> a great un-explored glacier that can be viewed from the deck of 
steamers. It is one of the most beautiful glaciers on the river and th< ly one on the south bank. 

Some twent\ miles above this is the Flood Glacier which has a periodical habit of discharging in the fall a vol- 
ume of water sutheieni to raise the Stickeen several feel. 

forty miles beyond one reaches the most interesting part of the entire river — the Little Canyon, about a mile 
| 011CT ami barely two hundred feet wide with perpendicular rock walls on either side, down which channel when the 
river is hi°h the water rushes with frightful velocity forming great whirlpools and carrying tons upon tons of drill 

18 




: 




U&M 




y. 



I 



k 




'-?•?- 



Indian Canoe starting up River with Freight and Passengers. 




Sawback Range on Stickeen. 



wood, forbidding al times for days the passage of the uiosl powerful steamer. At high water il is a grand sighl 
anil one need.- to summon all his courage to stand upon the deck and witness the passage. 

A short distance above the canyon and the great saw tooth range, a grand succession <>( sharp peaks, resembling 
giant -aw teeth is seen in the northwest. 

About ten miles mi is the Kloochman's (woman) canyon, a beautiful sheel "I' deep smooth water, hall' a mile 
long ami three hundred Eeel wide with nearly perpendicular walls. 'Flu- canyon is doubtless so named Erom its 
scenic and physical semblence to its namesake, by reason of its beauty, gentle, placid and never-varying disposi- 
tion, always calm and unruffled; never lashed into fury like its sister ten miles below. Sum,' however, assume thai 
its name is taken from the fad that a Kloochman can steer s canoe through it, whereas the strongesi and most ix- 
perienced canoeman always takes the helm in passing the more dangerous canyon below. 

The whole character of the country changes rapidly after leaving the canyon. The hemloi : and cottonwood 
grow thinner and soon disappear altogether and in their place appear the black pine, spruce, balsam, poplar, 
and birch; there are few extensive flats; the river is more confined between its banks; there are fe\* sloughs and 
a more rapid current. 

Bears are frequently seen on the treeless side hills, on tin sand bars or swimming the river. Mountain goats 
are also frequently seen far up the mountain side-, appearing like white specks thai would no! be noticeable to the 
unpracticed eye. Porcupine are plentiful all along the banks and blue grouse and ptarmigan abound on the up- 
per edge of the timber line and their ruffled tnnt is continually sounding in the ear: while the ruff grouse or drum 

mer heats his tatt i the ln\\ bottoms ami the wild goose ami duck rise from their quiet Feeding grounds :■> 

join in the salute. 

Save for this all is silence ami solitude. 

fin- two days entirely surrounded with wild towering mountains, seldom able \>> see more than a half mile of 
the river either ahead or astern, with the water rushing ami boiling around the vessel, ami bul I'm' those abo 

23 



not a living sou] within sixty miles, is it any wonder that we silently sit there terrified; yet rapt in admiration at 
tlic wondrous work of our Maker? 

Navigable 160 miles for light draft steamers from about May L0 to October 10, the Stickeen river is the great 
artery of commerce for the vast Cassiar country and Northwest British Columbia. 

Telegraph Creek at the head of navigation, is a thriving little town with three general merchandise houses, 
two hotels, two restaurants, a blacksmith shop, a post-office, etc. The merchants all maintain pack trains for carry- 
ing (heir goods to the various mining camps, about 150 horses and mules being wintered at Telegraph. 

An extensive I'u f trade is carried on with the Taltan Indians and from this source the natives have an annual 
income of over $25,000. The chief furs taken arc the black, silver, cross and red fox. marten, beaver, lynx, mink, 
land otter, wolf, wolverine, black', brown and grizzly hear. 

At Telegraph Creek, as well as at all points on the river, turnips, carrots, cabbages, potatoes, lettuce, parsnips, 
beets, radishes, strawberries, raspberries, cranberries and other of the hardier vegetables and small fruits grow to 

perfection. 

About 1 5 miles below Telegraph Creek, Captain John C. Callbreath, one of the pioneers of the country has a 
farm, producing annually about 150 tons of oats, barley and timothy hay. 

To the true sportsman and especially to him who seeks big game, the country hack of Telegraph Creek presents 
a held with but few equals and no superior. The mountain sheep are found in large lands within ten miles of 
tow II. the best season for hunting them being the late summer and early fall. Cariboo and moose are plentiful 
at all seasons within about thirty miles. The black bear is found in all directions, but Iskoot River, a branch ol 
the Stickeen. about forty miles from Wrangel, is the home of the grizzly. 

Complete outfits can be secured in either Wrangel, Tel sgraph Creek or Glenora, the latter place being the dis- 
tributing post of the Iludsons' Bay Company for the interior country. Pack animals can lie had at Telegraph 

24 




The Sticketn Canyon. 




The Stickeen Glacier, or Ice Mountain. 



('reck Eor two dollars per >\;\\ and eompetenl guides at from two to three dollars per day. The hotel accommoda 
tions are Eairly g I and rates reasonable. 

The Canadian Government has extended its telegraph line from Atlin and Dawson so that Telegraph I n 
now has communication with the outside world. 

Steamers run regularly during the uavigation eason from Wrangel to T legraph < 'reek, usuallj going up in thre 
days and returning in about ten hours. The fare for the round trip is fifteen dollars, meals and birth being > ixti 

After navigation is closed in the fall for steamers, the up-river freight and passenger traffic is carried on by 
[ndians with canoes "I several Inns capacity. 

During the winter months, communication is maintained over the ice by the Canadian postal authorities. 








Cone Mountain on Stickeeu River. 




Disputed Boundary Line between United States and Canada on the Stickeeu River. 



1 i si) 



erics 

Being at the mouth of the Stickeen, up which millions of salmon go annually to their spawning groi 
Wrangel has for years been the center of the fishing industry of Southeastern Alaska, and as the rapidly advancing 
market increases, so will the prosperitj of the town increase. 

Prior to 1900, three canneries with a total rapacity of 140,000 cases were in operation in this vicinity but en- 
couraged with the brighl outlook for a g 1 market and an unlimited supply of raw material, three new canneries 

were built this year. 

The combined output of the sis canneries for L900 was 07,500 can- of red and 133,150 cases of Alaska pink, for 
which use 645,000 king, red, and silver, and 2,443,000 humpbacks were taken. 91 whites, 366 natives, 12 Japs, 
21 Italians, and 232 Chinese were employed with a total pay-roll for the season of aboul $200,000, one fourth of 
which was received by the Chinese. 11 steamers of from five to thirty tons each, 6 lighters and 120 fishing boats 
were engaged. Fishermen received $60 per month and hoard, or if independent nine to ten cents cadi fur cohoes, 
-e\, ii to eigtrl cents each for red. and three-fourths to one cent each for humpbacks. When compared with Colum- 
bia River, Fraser River and Pugel Sound price- of from twenty to thirty cents each for fish, the immense ad- 
vantages Alaska cannerj n have over all competitors is immediately apparent. 

Though millions of salmon ascend the Stickeen Kiver the supplj of fish in the small streams in this vicinity 
has been so far in excess of all demands that no serious efforts have ever been pui forth I" overcome the difficulties 
to be encountered in fishing the larger stream. 

The immediate vicinity of Wrangel offers enough excellent sites with an ample supply of fish to increase the 
present output four fold, and thai without touching the inexhaustible supply of the great river. 

35 



The expense of ;i vast fishing fleet and the enormous outlay for traps, so necessary to success on Puget Sound 
and the surrounding country, is totally unnecessary in Alaska, hence the explanation of the magnificent success 
of companies with small capital in this district. Competently handled, twenty thousand dollars invested in a sal- 
mon cannery in Southeastern Alaska, will clear itself the first season. This lias hern done, is being done now and 
there is no adequate reason why it cannot be done again. 

Canneries to the south through the failure of an anticipated run of fish have often been compelled to pay large 
sums guaranteed to the Chinese contractors upon the opening of the season, but Alaska knows no "off" years, and 
statistics of the 1". S. Government will show that there has never been a failure of the salmon pack in Southeast! rn 
Alaska". 

The season just closed shows a shortage' of at least fifty per cent, on Puget Sound, the Columbia and Eraser 
rivers, while the Alaska pack is something over 1,100,000 cases, exceeding bj about ten percent, the pack of 1,041,- 
3-16 cases in 1899 (TJ. S. Treasury Statistics) which was considered unparalleled. 

In addition to her canneries. Wrangel is the supply station for eight salteries, employing 39 whites and 80 na- 
nus, with a combi 1 production for 1900 of 6000 barrels. The output of salted salmon, however, is very uncer- 
tain as most of ihe owners of >ites prefer selling their fish to the canneries; and as a rule only make a business of 
salting the surplus to prevent waste. 

Wrangel is surrounded with the world-famed halibut banks of Alaska, but for convenience in quick shipment 
am! securing ice for pacldng, the vessels during active operations make temporary headquarters in Wrangel Nar- 
rows, coming here for supplies. During the winter of 1899-1DOO. 21 sailing vessels of from 12 to 22 tons each and 
three steamers with 110 men were engaged in this business, their total catch aggregating 1500 tons. Ice for pack- 
ing is had at the glacier at the north end of the narrows for the mere taking. 



36 




Salmon Cannery, operated by Alaska Packers' Association. 



m; ni 



pg 



Prior to 1897, when the amazing wealth of the Klondike was first made known to the world, Alaska was uni- 
versally believed to be a vast expanse of unproductive land covered with glaciers, and totally unsuited to the habita- 
tion of the white man, and thai world-famed quarry, the Treadwell mine on Douglass Island, paying annual divi- 
dends of more than half a milli lollars, was merely an oasis in the great desert of ice and snow. Bui the mad 

rush of gold seekers in thai year opened the eyes of the world to the enormous possibilities of Alaska, and the 
pasi three years lias demonstrated thai our Government drew a valuable prize in its purchase of the territory from 
Russia. 

The difficulties of transportation, the vastness and ruggedness of the country, the hardships to be encountered 
in prospecting, the enticing encouragemenl for quickly acquired wealth in the placers a few miles further north, 
and the time and mono} required to develope quartz properties, were, for a time, effectual bars to work in this section. 
I lut in the face of these drawbacks and in a period of time insufficient to open to an] appreciable extern 1 the properties 
of Southeastern Alaska, the mosi skeptical have been convinced thai the country is immensehj rich in gold, silver, 
lead, copper and coal. 

The most attractive features of the mining of this section and the ones thai appeal mosi promptly and gureh 
to the judgment of mining men, are the unusually large ore bodies, the unlimited supph of excelleni timber, the 
numerous great water powers to be depended upon during the entire year, ami the read\ accessibility of mosi p 
erties. li is only such natural advantages a- these that permit the Treadwell mine, already referred to, to operate 

During the pasi summer considerable development work lias Itch done with flattering results and it i> generally 
advantageously with ore that scarcely averages $2.50 per ton. 

39 



believed thai before the first year of the twentieth century has passed away a large number of present prospects will 
be handsomely paying mines and the future of Wrangel as a mining center established for all time. 

Among the many wealthy and prominent men who are investing in Ibis locality might be mentioned Congress 
man Wm. Sulzer, W. E. Hearst of the New York Journal, and Senator J. P. Jones of Nevada, who head a syndicate of 
New York capitalists under the name of the Alaska Industrial Company, and are at present employing a force of men 
developing a copper property on the west coast of the Prince of Wales Island. J. E. Cronan of Fargo, 1ST. D., is repre- 
senting a Dakota syndicate in a marble quarry venture at Shakan, the product of which is said to be suitable for 
statuary and in every respect equal to the famous Italian marble. The value of ibis property has already been es- 
tablished and it is expected shipments will begin in the early spring. The Pacific Coast Mining, Milling and De- 
velopment Co. with California capital, anil the Alaska Copper Co. are also employing a number of men at Copper 
Mountain. Tn the vicinity of Duncan Canal to the north of Wrangel, considerable prospecting and development 
work has been done during the pasf six months, the Sumdum Mining Co. of Sumdum and the Olympic Min- 
ing Co. of Seattle having erected winter camps on their properties. 

It has often been asserted thai Ibis is not a poor man's country, and as a refutation of this theory the case of 
E. E. Wyman is cited, who. during the winter of 1899 without capital and single banded, worked his quartz claim 
about four miles from Copper Mt. sacking and shipping his ore to Puget Sound for smelting and netting himself 
$8.50 per day for the entire time employed. 

In every direction from the town the country is found to be heavily mineralized and though several thousand 
claims have been filed in the recorder's office at Wrangel, which embraces all of Southeastern Alaska south of Cape 
Fanshaw, so vast is the district that it has hardly been touched, and there will be plenty of opportunities for the 
prospector for many years. 

To those men who have learned that Alaska's sands of gold are a myth and are willing to abandon rainbow 
chasing as an unprofitable calling, the Wrangel Board of Trade will say that Southeastern Alaska offers to the 

40 



trul\ industrious man, greater opportunities for the acquiremtnl of legitimate wealth in a reasonable time than an- 
other pari of the north. 

As .-ill travel for the Copper Mountain and vicinity musl go by way of Wrangel, and the prospecting boats m i 
n their headquarters for outfitting, the merchants carry a full stock of suitable supplies and by purchasing in large 
quantities can furnish everything led al a price well beneath whal individuals can bring them in for. 






JJurnb 



rr)Dcnr)q 

The United States Statute prohibiting the exportation of lumber from Alaska lias greatly retarded the develop- 
ment el' what would become under favorable conditions one of the district's most valuable industries. All the islands 
as well as the mainland are heavily timbered with gigantic spruce, cedar and hemlock, many of them six to eight 
feet in diameter without a limb fur a hundred feet, and the loggers have never found it necessary to leave the beach 
to secure suitable logs 

At Wrangel is located the largest saw mill in the territory with a capacity of thirty thousand feet per day and 
employing twenty-five men. It is worked for nine months in the year, the lumber going to Ketchikan. Juneau, the 
mining camps and canneries A large business is done in cutting boxes for salm aiming. 

Wages arc from $35 and board, up. logs are paid for at the rate of from $3.50 to $4.50 per thousand, and lumber 
is in good demand at from $12 per thousand for rough spruce to $40 per thousand for clear cedar. 

It is believed that the restrictions already referred to will in a few years be removed and the most sanguine 
would hardly dare predict the extent to which lumbering will then ho carried on. 

At present logging is principally carried on by hand and although the price of logs, as compared with other 
plan's, is extremely low, they are secured with such ease as to make the business exceedingly lucrative. For instance, 
during the past summer, Messrs. Card and Parrish, local men. made oyer and above all expenses $?00 each per 
mouth. Tan any other camp in the country make a similar showing? 

42 




Fort Wrangel Saw Mills. 



J>U 



PS 



s ""''' the : " lv, ' nl " r ,h '' wh ite man the aatives have been too prosperous to trap with the same energy and per 
severance exhibited a few years ago, and the production of furs has become somewhat uncertain. 

The total vain,, of those annually marketed at Wrangel is about $20,000 of which the I, lark l.car. beaver, land ot- 
ter, mink and martin form the bulk. The wolf, hair-seal, lynx, wolverine, brown and grizzly bear are also taken in 
small numbers. 

More than 5000 deer skins were brought in during the winter of 1899-1900, this valuable animal being usually 
killed for its hid,, alone which sells for about fifty cents each, the meat being left to decay. 

11 is '"'I' 1 '' 1 thai Congress will soon pass a law prohibiting the indiscriminate slaughter, for it is universally ad- 
mitted that though deer are as plentiful on the islands as the buffalo were a few years ago on the plains, it is onl\ 
a question of time when they will practically become extinct. 

On the headwaters of the Stiekeen River about $25,000 worth of furs, including the black, silver and en— fox. 
are taken annually, but the entire output goes to Victoria. B. ('.. and does not in any way figure in the local mar- 
ket. 




^^^ 



J isr) ar)d Oarrjc 



.■I' 



Alaska, and particularly the Wrangel district, offers greater encouragement to the sportsman than any oth 
section on this continent. It is naturally a fish and game country, and as ii is sparsely settled it is necessary 

to go I mt a short distance from town for good sport. It is common for a market hunter to bring in move than a hun- 
dred ducks and geese from a day's trip to the mouth of the Stiekeen, six miles from Wrangel. 

As elsewhere stated, deer are indiscriminately slaughtered for their hides. So plentiful are the deer on all 
the islands, as well as on the mainland, that it is an easy task for two natives to round up a score in a couple of days. 

All the small streams in this vicinity are teeming with trout, the largest day's catch, so far recorded, being 1 '.' I 
pounds, averaging in size twenty ounces. The trout are so destructive to the salmon eggs and young salmon thai 
cannei'vinen ami fishermen encourage in every way the killing of them. Dynamite is often used for this purpose. 

The blue grouse and ptarmigan can be found on all the neighboring island-. 

The black boar is often met with during the run of salmon within ten miles n( town. The hear is fond of sal- 
i. and it is a pretty sight to see him in a shallow stream picking up the fish and tossing them on the hank. 

The grizzly is found in great numbers on the [scoot River, a branch of the Stiekeen. forty miles f r0 m Wran- 
gel. 

As elsewhere stated, the country about the headwaters of the Stiekeen i- a hunter's paradise where no costly 
outfits, nor caravan of pack animals or guides are needed. 

As an encouragement to sportsmen generally, we quote the following market quotations: mallards, 30c; teal, 
10c; geese, 75c; venison, 7e per lb.; trout, tOc per lb. 

46 




Oue hundred and eighty-seven Deer in Warehouse. 



Bdfrs? 



es 

In thai portion of Alaska South of Farragut Hay. which is known as the Wrangel District, there are twenty-two 
villages, with a larger native population than all the remainder of the Territory South of Bering Sea. 

During the summer they are employed in the fisheries, saw mills and logging camp-, and in the early fall in 
<anoc freighting on the Stiekeen, and in winter in trapping. Their condition is prosperous, and many have acquired 
a lair competency. They arc as a rule an industrious, .md in a certain sense a frugal people, the logical result of the 
climate in which they live, the long winters making it imperative upon them to provide in summer for their wauls 
during the cold period. 

Before the day of the while man, their main food supply was salmon, hut for many years they have grown pota- 
toes, turnips, carrots an. I s e of the hardier vegetables for which they have to provide cellar storage and this fad 

gives them some slight appreciation of the rights of property. 

Acquisitiveness, which is one id' the first steps toward- civilization, they have in a very large degree; and tin: 
which they acquire, naturally, they want to keep; hence they are very responsive to the outward and visible sign of 
authority. for instance, a native may he engaged in flagrant wrong doing and should a white man that he know- 
land he generally does know) who has no authority, remonstrate with him. he does not hesitate to say " ichta mika 
business" (what is it your business); hut should a man connected in any way with the Government check them 
at any time no such response is made. 

There can he Imt little doubt hut for the ignorant and mistaken teachings of a certain class of fanatical educa- 
tors who attempt to accomplish in a single generation that which all history tells us it takes ages to accomplish, 
I he native- would he better off physically and morally than they are now. 

49 



There can be no more mistaken policy than to attempt to force a barbarous or semi-barbarous people to take 
learning from the books. In a few years they would find out that the man who knew his arithmetic and could make 
calculations had much the advantage of his ignorant fellows in all matters of trade and naturally they would seek 
knowledge of themselves. 

Contact with the fisheries, the trading posts, the saw mills, mines and other industries springing up in the 
territory would have afforded them an opportunity for gradual and permanent improvement. 

At present the majority of the natives are ambitions to live in houses built and furnished after the fashion of the 
white man. and the saw mills thai have been established in the territory give them an opportunity to indulge this 
taste. 

Heretofore, the dwellings which were their winter homes (tor during the open months they were abroad in the 
land fishing and trapping) were not palaces, very imposing in appearance, although they were by no means hovels. 
Thev were usually built of hewn Logs and often quite commodious — as much as forty feet square — with a platform 
surrounding the lire which was always limit in the center, making the bouse comparatively comfortable. In the 
larger bouses there were often small rooms built on these platform elevations, these to some extent segregating (be 

M'M'S. 

During the winter, in the olden times, and even yet. they have their so-called dances, which are a curious mixture 
of dance and theatricals, which have a certain significance to the natives; and here it is well to remark that there 
have been many and futile attempts to break up these gatherings that are harmless in themselves and no doubt often 
keep the natives from less innocent employment. The crusade against the Indian dance reminds one of the strenu- 
ous opposition among civilized people always given by the ignorant and uncultivated to theatrical performances of 
all kinds. 

The totem poles or family trees so interesting to tourists are here in large numbers, Wrangel having sixteen of 
the handsomest ones to be found in all Alaska. 

50 




Typical Indian Faces. 



The Dative population of Southeastern Alaska has always I n and will continue to be self-sustaining if lei 

alone. T 1 1< • \ have do desire to be charges upon the Governmenl and have constantly entered their protesl agaiusi 
being segregated into reservations. They are gradually dropping their own customs and adopting those of the white 
man whose good and bad qualities they "ill in a comparatively shorl time take to themselves. The motto should 
bo — let them alone, give them employment, pay them l'a:rl\ for it, and teach them rather by example than precepl 
i" ohey the golden rule " Do unto others as yon would they should do unto yon." 





G 



oqclusion 



The future of Southeastern Alaska is bui little appreciated by the thoughtless and uninformed. They do nut 
realize the fad thai while the world, as ii did in the olden times, is turning on its axis but once in twenty-four 
hours, still, scientifically and materially, it is moving at a rate a hundred fold accelerated since the day when 
Rome was in her glory, when one could amuse himself, in the language of the modern boy, by joshing his fellow 
eitize ■ soldier who had ventured so far as the British Isles — the ultima thule of the world. 

The returning soldier was looked upon as some of our Eastern Eriends look upon a monstrous Alaskan curio. 
They little thought, as has been said, " to boast of being a British subject " would be as proud a boast as the Eo- 
man's civis romanus sum. In thai age of the world it took n thousand years to accomplish what a few decades of 
steam, telegraphy, photography, etc., will in our day accomplish, and it will be comparatively a few years when the 
citizen- of the greal state or states of Alaska will be as proud of their birth-right as the citizen of any country in the 
world. 

This, too, will be the land of true patriotism, thai patriotism born of a marriage with the soil — a land where the 
home of the citizen lias been made and improved by his ancestors. 

This is ii< > ready-made country and in the future is destined to be as greal as all countries are where art is the 
biggest factor in the co-partnership with nature in building up a country. It will lie the mountain, the streamlet 
am! the hill to endear to a man this home of his childhood, ami there'll lie that individuality in each home that 
never belongs to (lie home of the man brought up on the plains where all the farms remind one of dresses torn 
from the same piece of calico and where you see men often standing upon the platform of a train counting the mile 
posts to see when the] get home. In such countries men have to approach their homes with few joyful emotions, 
and leave them without regret. 

54 



The Pioneer Saloon 



E. P. LYNCH, Proprietor 



The Business Men's Resort 

Refreshments for Man and Beast 



Water Street 



Wrangel, Alaska 



THE S. S. BARANOFF 

L M. CHURCHILL, Master 

Makes Semi-Monthly Trips to Shakan, Klawack, How- 
can, Hunter's Bay, Copper Mt. and all points on West 
Coast of Prince of Wales Island, connecting at Wrangel 
with the P. C. S. S Go's Steamer Cottage City. 
For Information, Address 

L. M. CHURCHILL 

WRANGEL, ALASKA 



Everybody knows that 

REID & SYLVESTER 

CARRY 

The largest and most 
varied assortment of 
General Merchandise in 
Southeastern Alaska. 



Front Street 



Wrangel, Alaska 



The Brewery Saloon 

BRUNO GRIEF, Proprietor 



Connected with Private Rooms and Lunch Coun'er 
Finest Line of Liquors and Cigars in the City 
Elegantly Furnished Rooms at Moderate Rates 



Water Street 



Wrangel, Alaska 



FRED W. CflRliYON 
Watehmakep and decade** 

Full Line of Native Jewelry, Baskets and Curios 

Alaska and Yukon Views 
Studio in Connection 



212 Front Street 



Wrangel, Alaska 



Rainier Beer a Specialty 

U. S. SALOON 



The Choicest Wines 
Liquors and Cigars 



M. R. ROSENTHAL, Prop. 

Wrangel, Alaska 



The Gem Restaurant and Bakery 

G. W1SIGEL, Proprielor 

The Best Table in Alaska 
Meals Served at all Hours 

Uiyu Muckamuck fur Teuas Chicamon 

Water Street Wrangel, Alaska 



WILLSON & SYLVESTER 



WRANGEL MILLS 



Manufacturers of all Kinds of 



Yellow Cerlar, Red Cedar and SpriJce Lumber 



Flooring, Ceiling, Rustic, Etc. 



Salmon Boxes a Specialty 



Wrangel, Alaska 



MORRIS HEALEY 

Dealer in 

GENERAL MERCHANDISE 

purs and Curios 
Front Street Wrangel, Alaska 



WRANGEL NEWS DEPOT 

Latest Newspapers and Periodicals on Every Steamer 

Fruit and Confectionery 
T. G. WILSON. Proprietor 

Front Street Wrangel, Alaska 



Wrangel Drug Company 

O W. STANTON, M D , Mgr. 

DRUGS, CHEMICALS, 

PATENT MEDICINES, 

PERFUMERIES, ETC. 

Prescriptions Carefully Compounded 

Front Street Wrangel, Alaska 



The Hunter's Rest 



W £ LLOYD, Proprietor 



Headquarters for Prospectors and Sportsmen 



Water Street 



Choicest Wines, LiqUors and Cigars 



Wnangel, Alaska 



I. < M. lin.l! 



B MON lA-.i I. 



K* I AI'.I.ISHED 1*97 



P c McCORMACK 



St. Michael Trading Company 

KLONDIKE OUTFITTERS 

Wrangel, Alaska 

Alaska Furs a Specialty 

Dry Goods Hardware Stoves Glass 

Clothing Groceries Ranges Oil 

Gent's Furnishings Queensware Sleds Paints 

Hats, Shoes Graniteware Miners' Outfits 



Do you want 

A Cannery Site for Salmon 
A Saltery Site for Salmon 
A Halibut or Fishing Site 

of any kind? 

If so, rxinite to 

d. F- COLtblNS 

LUnangel, Alaska 



I. FROHMAN 
General Merchandise 



And Dealer in 



Front Street 



Furs and Hides 

Wrangel, Alaska 



C. P. COLE 
Contractor and Builder 

Water Street Wrangel, Alaska 



The Warwick Sample Room 

B. W. KIBLER, Proprietor 

Finest and Largest Stock of Wines, Liquors 

and Cigars in Southeastern Alaska 

Olympia Beer always on Hand 

Fort Wrangel Hotel Wrangel, Alaska 



MINNOfI WHARF AND FORWARDING CO. 

WRANGEL, ALASKA 

General Steamship Agents 

J. F. COLLINS, Manager 



O. K. BARBER SHOP 

L. C. PATENAUDE 

Cigar Store— the Leading Brands of Cigars, 
Tobaccos, etc. always on Hand 

Opposite McKinnon Wharf Wrangel, Alaska 



REID & SYLVESTER, Proprietors 



J. F. HAMILTON, Manager 



FORT WRANGEL HOTEL 

The Largest and Finest House in 
Alaska. All Modfirn Improvements 



Front Street 



Wrangel, Alaska 



JAS. T. WATERS 

FANEUIL HALL MARKET 

Dealer in Fresh and Salt Meats, Poultry, Game and 
Vegetables. Wholesale and Retail 

Shipping Supplied at Lowest Kates 



Water Street 



Wrangel, Alaska 



WRANGEL DAIRY 

Pure Milk and Cream 

Ice Cream to Order 

H. C. TAIT, Proprietor 
420 Water Street CUrangel, Alaska 



Double-Up 
Tobacco 



Does not 



Double up 
or Swell 



^fc-W^*- 



REID & SYLVESTER 



FORT WRANGEL 



Sole Agents 



THE WRANGEL DAIRY 



H. C. TAIT, Proprietor 



Milk, Cream and Butter 



ICE CREAM 



Front St , Wrangel, Alaska 



Sinclair & finlayson 



Successors to D. McKinnon 



General Merchandise 



Front Street 



Fort Wrangel, Alaska 



CHAS. HOFFMAN 
E. s. rutiiciiii.I) 



M 51 BTWEITZER 

J. s. SILVERBERG 



HOFFMAN, HID I CO. 

successors to hoffman, Alexander s go. 

Importers 
Manufacturers 
ana Wholesale 
Clothiers 

Mens, Yoifths and Child reus Clothing 

9-11 Battery Street 
101 113 Bush Street 

SAN FRANCI5C0 



384-386 Broadway, New York 



Alaska Steamship Company 



OPERATING THE FAST TWIN SCRE1Y STEAMER 



..Do lb km.. 




THE FASTEST STEAMER ON THE ALASKA ROUTE 



AND THE 

A - 1 



Dingo and farallon 



STEAMERS 

To all points in Southeastern Alaska 

H * Be sureyour tickets readvia /Alaska Steamship Company 

...for further information apply to .. 

WALTER OAKES, Treasurer CHAS. E. PEABODY, Manager ROBT. REID, Agent 

Tacoma, Wash. Seattle, Wash. Wrangel, Alaska 



Hudsons' Bay Company 

INCORPORATED, A. D. 1670 

During the Season of Navigation the Company's Steamers will run between 
WRANGEL and GLENORA on the Stickeen Etiver,and between the Mouth of 
the Skeena River and HAZELTON. Close connections with Ocean Steamers. 

For terms fur Freight and Passengers, apply to 

HUDSONS' BAY COMPANY 

AT 

VICTORIA, VANCOUVER, RORT SIMRSON, GLENORA 

or HAZELTON, B. C. 

or to Messrs. RE1D £ SYLVESTER, Wrangel, Alaska 

At the above mentioned stores, MINERS, PROSPECTORS, TOURISTS and others can 

obtain all supplies and requirements at reasonahle prices. 

HUDSONS' BAY COMPANY 

Incorporated, a. D. 1670 



The Casa Trading and Transportation Company, Ltd. 



COMPLETE OUTFITTING STORES 



Pack Trains Furnished 
for all Interior Points 



Head Office, VICTORIA, B. C. GLENORA, B. C. 



Canadian Pacific Navigation Co,, Ltd. 

REGULAR STEAMERS LEAVE VICTORIA AND VANCOUVER, B. C. 

...WEEKLY... 

...for KETCHIKAN, WR ANGEL and SKAGWAY and all 

Mining Poinds on West Coast of Vancouver 
Island and Northern British Columbia Points 

Daily Service y lctor j a an( J VailCOUVer 



l it- 1 ween 



con**c™ w ,th CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY ~~ 

Special Accammadatians far Cattle, Heavy Machinery and Mining Supplies 



All Steamers Carry Her Majest 's Mails 



Head Office of the Company G. A. Carleton C.S.Baxter 

Wharf Hotel, Victoria, B. C. Gen. Freight Agt. Gen. Pass Agt. 



Louch Augustine & Co 



Wholesale Grocers 



Importers of Teas, Coffees and Fine Groceries 

PACKERS OF THE 1888 BRAND OF 

* BACDN \ HAMB * 

815 & 817 First Ave. SEATTLE, WASH., U. S. A. 



Goods handled Strictly on 
Commission. 



I. M. HIXSON & CO. 

*" INCORPORATE]) 

WHOLESALE 
COMMISSION 
MERCHANTS 



( Consignments Solicited 
Returns Made Promptly. 



•Dl'ALERS IN — 



Green and Dried Fruits, Oranges, Lemons 
Beans, Potatoes, Onions, Poultry, Eggs, Etc. 



Goods Suitable for the 
Alaska Trade a Specialty 



M 




Lh 







ffl. Seller j Go. 

* Incorporated 



SPECIALISTS 



-Alaska 
Requirements 



OF- 



Crockery 
Glassware 
Cutlery 
Tinware 
Granite ware 



HEATING and COOKING STOVES 



Seattle Cracker "««• Candy Co. 

(Branch of Pacific Coast Biscuit Co.") 

The Largest and Most Complete 



RACKER a^d 
ANDY 

'FACTORY 
On the Pacific Coast 



We Manufacture all kinds of 



First Ave., cor. Madison Street 

Seattle, Wash. 



FANCY CAKES 
SODA CRACKERS 
PILOT BREAD 
AND FINE 
CONFECTIONERY 

Cor. Occidental Ave. and Jackson St. 

Seattle, Wash, 



Seallle Hardware Company 



JOBBERS OR 

f 

HARDWARE 

TIN AND 
GRANITE 
WARE 

CUTLERY AND 

SPORTING 

GOODS 

Special Attention Given to 

ALASKA 
ORDERS 



first avenue & marion st 
Seattle, Wash. 



M. THOMSKN, President 



R. C. HASSON, Manager 



2,000 
Barrels 
Every 
Day 



730,000 barrels of Flour iu one year 
seems stupendous for one mill but tbat 
is our capacity. Three and a quarter 
million bushels of wheat. 

( >i r brands : 

Centennial's Best and 
Gold Drop 

E O T H PATENT F I. O U R S 



BllV ' v RpSt ^ ei1temil ' al MM Companji 



SEATTLE 



AMES & HARRIS, 



INCORPORATED 



Portland, Ore., and 
San Francisco, Cal. 



™-"" e " -'^r^Hy d ra ulic Hose 

Water Proof Covers 



Canvas Bags 
Tents 



and Tower's Celebrated Fish and Shield Brand 



Oiled Clothing 



Lilly. Bogardus & C 



o. 



INCORPORATED 



HAY, GRAIN 
FLOUR 

Whole sale FEED 

CEREALS 
SALT, Etc. 

OUR SECIALTY 

High Grade Flour and Cereals 

Compressed Hay forAlaska 
Shipments 

SEATTLE, U. S. A. 



Capital Stock, #200.000 Surplus, >i 00,000 

Established 1S70 

[)exter, ]-|orton fa Qo. 
..BANKERS.. 

W. M. Ladd President 

R.H.Denny Vice-President 

N. H. Latimer Manager 

M.W.Peterson Cashier 

C. E. Burnside Ass't Cashier 

Oldest Bank in Washington 

Net increase of Deposits during last year 

Deposits March 1, 1899 - 561,915,855 54 

Deposits May 31, 1S99 - 1.983,04597 

Deposits July 12, 1899 - - 2,210,012 19 

Deposits Sept. 7, 1899 - 2 499,827.90 

Deposits Dec. 2, 1899 " - 2 9°6,569 50 

Deposits May 30, 1900 - - 3,020,179.10 

Deposits Sept. 5, 1900 - - 3303,086.71 

Exchange Sold on all Points in Alaska 

Dexter, Horton & Co., Bankers 

SEATTLE, WASH. 



Iliglu 'i I Paid fur Raw I'urs 

1 led :md Prompt Kitum- Made 



G. SIMMONS & CO. 



If UfS AND SKIN! 



Shippers and Importers of 

Main ( Iffice, 5$ Clay Street 
Telephone Main 5936 SAN FRANCISCO 



T. JACKMAN, Presidenl CHAS. BUTLER, Via Pr< 

W. 11 REYNOLDS, Secretary 



. .^^INCORPORATED 

Wholesale and Retail Butchers 

LiveStoi k, I resli Meats and Vegetables 

Port Townsend, Wash, 



l»/ft I /f^\ I /v^l PACIFIC COAST AGES'S FOR THE 

rlLIPpyYw^ntsCo. celebrated mt. vernon duck 



Importers of Staple and Fancy Dry Goods 
Manufacturers of Furnishing Goods 
Patentees and Soi.f: Manufacturers 

The "Never Rip" Overall— best in the \vorli> 



Corner Sansome and Bush Sts. 



5&D Fr&gcisco, C&l. 



Gloves, Suspenders 

Laces, Ribbons, Dress Goods, Velvets, Silks 

Flannels, Oil Cloths, Cottons 

Linens, Etc. 

Blankets, Calicoes, Shawls 

Umbrellas, Cutleiy, Notions, Smokers' Articles 

Stationery, Underwear 

Hosiery 

White Goods 



A 



SSAYER'S 

Material 



Everything 
Needed for 
Amateur or 
Professional 
Field or 
Laboratory 



Blowpipe Outfits for Prospectors 

FINE CHEMICALS, GOLD SCALES 

Mail Orders Given Prompt Attention 

STEWART & HOLMES DRUG CO. 

FIRST AVE , FOOT OF CHERRY ST. 

SEATTLE 



H. c. TAYI.au 



W. I. VAIL WARREN GREEN}- 



Northwestern Shoe Co. 

Wholesale and Retail Dealers 

Hoots, Shoes 
Rubbers, Shoe Findings, Saddlery Hardware 



Telephone Main 545 oCclttle, WaSll. 



J Kl'K'l II, President 

MILL. MINING AND 
MARINE WORK 
A SPECIALTY 



I III l. Ml;, Manager 



II. P. STIUCKI.AN li. Seen in \ 



Stye l/ulear) IroQ U/orKs <?ompapy 

MANUFACTURERS OF MACHINERY 



R. V. ANKENY, Treasurei 
FOUNOERS 
MACHINISTS AND 
BLACKSMITHS 




FINEST LINE OF SUPPLIES IN NORTHWEST 



Wire Rope of Every Description 
Wire Rope F ttings 
Pipe Fittings, Pipe, Valves, etc. 
Steam, Air, Ammonia and other Gauges 
Oilers and Oiling Sets 



i ivering, etc. 

Cold Rolled Steel Shafting 
Red ami White Lead 

iii'idum Grinding Wheels, Glimmers, etc. 
Phoenix Fine Cleaners 



Packings. Rainbow, Usudurian, Sheet Rubber Peerless, Revere, AsbestO-Metallic 

Flax, Tucks, etc., etc. 



Seattle 
Wash. 



,.. ,^r* 



MAN1 1 iC ' i 1-' ERS OF . . . 

r.OGGINC ENGIN'l - 
MARINE ENGINES 
MINING MACHINERY 
GANG EDGH Ks 
SAW Mil. I. MMIllM R\ 
SHINGLE MII.I. MACHINERY 

Best Stock of Patterns in Northwest. No Eitra Charge for 




pov/n Bpo?. 



P? (go. 

Manufacturers of 

dthunq 

AN IS 

ryiPisfiiiK 

IN ALL OF THEIR BRANCHES 

Sole Makers of the Celebrated 

Oregon City Cassimere Clothing 

Sole Agents 
OREGON CITY WOOLEN MILLS 



121-123 Saksome Street 
San Francisco, Cal. 



15-21 Lafayette Place 
New York City 






They Wear Like Iron 



COPPER RIVETED 

OVERALLS 

SPRING BOTTOM PANTS 




LEYLSTBAUSS & CO 

SAN FRANCISCO, 
Every uarment Ouaranteed. 



Increase Your §ates 

and please your customers 

by selling our RIVETED 

Balmoral— ar;d— Oor^r^ss 

Sanforan <£alf 
U/orl\in<£ Sfyoes 

THEY are as 

PROOF AGAINST WEAK 
WATE-R 

& HEAT 

AS ANY LEATHER CAN BE MADE 






Manufactured Exclusively by 



jfll, |ifl»G I {0. 



San Francisco, Cal. 



■ I 






^olarea 



>&(^ Fir&^eose®, C&L 



MTTIERY ST, 



Rubber Boots and Shoes 



Rubber and Oil Clothing 



Gold Seal 
"Crack Proof" 
Miners' Rubber Boots 



Stout's Patent 
"Snag Proof" 
Miners' Rubber Boots 



Belting, Packing and Hose 



ALL KINDS OF RUBBER 
< i< M M iS FOR ALASKA 



Goodyear Rubber Company 



R. H. PEASE, President 



73 and 7£ First St. 



Portland, Oregon 



SOLD ON THEIR MERITS 



^ 



Golden Gate Mocha and Java Coffee 
Golden Gate Baking Powder 
Golden Gate Ground Spices 
Golden Gate Flavoring Extracts 
Golden Gate Teas 



MANUFACTURED B V 

J. A. FOLGER *Ss CO, 



San Francisco, Cal. 






Coffee 



S|>ice 




A" 



^f jtits 




"%I S 9 00 i# 




Baking 
Powder 



Flavoring 
Extracts 



&-&sB* j?) 



-?>_cm3 



PURE AND SURE 



"RED SEAL" 



BRAND OF 



Spi6BS.FiavoringExiraGis.Etc. 



BEST MONEY CAN BUY 



Medal - nw ai ded al si ate Fairs 
S r i.i iiiento, Stockton and Cos 
Ajigeles ror absolti le Ptiril y and 
Perfection in manufacture. 



Pure Food Producers 

LIEVBE. FRICKE I CO. 

San Francisco. Cal. 



'%, 



■'? 



e 









